Is there still hope for Greece's international reputation?

A strategic public diplomacy could make a difference. Clingendael's 124th Discussion Paper in Diplomacy deals with this issue. In the past months the international press has mounted a fierce and negative campaign against Greece . So far the Ahens government has not yet managed to mount a response to the critiques. Instead, Greece seems to be passively accepting that politically and economically it is on the periphery of the West and the EU, and anticipating that solutions to its problems will be provided only by Brussels and Washington. Greece, however, could invest in the critical role that public diplomacy plays in contemporary global politics. This requires a shift from a public diplomacy that concentrates only on forging cultural and educational links, to a public diplomacy that focuses on the most significant regional and global issues by encouraging communication and dialogue, with official and non-state actors, working with and through internal and external societies and public opinion. When considering Greece's location in a complex, volatile and security-consuming geographical zone?including the Balkans, the Black Sea region, the Mediterranean and the Middle East?such a public diplomacy strategy would not only provide Greece with new opportunities for dealing with its bilateral problems (which include Turkey and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM)). It would also enhance its relevance and influence in multilateral organizations and forums, supplying it with ample opportunities in world affairs that go far beyond its current economic condition and limited hard-power capabilities.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Christos A. Frangonikolopoulos is Assistant Professor of International Relations at the School of Journalism and Mass Communications, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. He was born in South Africa in 1965, studied Politics and Government (BA Honours) and International Relations (Ph.D.) at the University of Kent at Canterbury in the UK. He has worked as a diplomatic newspaper correspondent (1995-2003) and adviser to the Greek Parliament (1997-2003), and from 2004-2005 he also worked for public television. His most recent book is Greek Media and Foreign Policy (Athens: I. Sideris, 2011) and he is also co-editor of the book Transnational Celebrity Activism: Changing the World (London: Intellect, 2011). He has published in many journals, such as Global Society, The Round Table, Nordicom, Etudes Helleniques, Greek Review of Political Science, Journal of Contemporary European Studies, Journal of Media and Cultural Politics, and the International Journal of Electronic Governance.

Email: chfragk@jour.auth.gr